ERIC Number: EJ1069446
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2005
Pages: 7
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0040-0610
EISSN: N/A
Mussolini's Marriage and a Game in the Playground: Using Analogy to Help Pupils Understand the Past
Laffin, Diana; Wilson, Maggie
Teaching History, n120 p18-24 2005
Diana Laffin and Maggie Wilson want their pupils to connect with people in the past and to experience some of their emotions. The emotional factor is a difficult one in history, both for pupils and professional historians. When studying Eden's actions at Suez, for example, what we lack is a proper insight into the immediate pressures he faced and the kind of environment in which he operated. What exactly did it feel like to be him at that moment? We can never know for sure and the additional problems faced by pupils (for example, empathising with adults and being unable to deal with hindsight) increase the challenge. One way of handling these difficulties is through the careful use of analogy in the classroom. In some ways, this is Luff with a twist (see, for example, Luff's article in issue 113). As in Luff's case, the two activities outlined here are all about active demonstration and role play, but the vehicle is the present, not the past. Of course, there are limitations to the use of analogies which have to be handled properly. But can they invoke feelings of injustice, betrayal and confusion that help pupils feel their way into the past? (Contains 2 classroom activities.)
Descriptors: History Instruction, Logical Thinking, Learning Activities, Role Playing, Demonstrations (Educational), European History, United States History, Psychological Patterns, Secondary School Students, Foreign Countries
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Guides - Classroom - Teacher; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Secondary Education
Audience: Teachers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom (England)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A